User Reviews

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Submitted by
Neil Sumner
a AudioPhile

Date Reviewed: November 25, 2005

Bottom Line:

This review is for PMC GB1.
It replaced my old Dynaudio 72.
This speaker reveals incredible details without sounding analytical or sterile.
Real sound. I feel as though I'm listening to electrostatics speakers.
Soundstage...Soundstage beyond the walls of the room. Treble and midrange completely without grain at any volume level. Bass is extended and excellent. They disapear and fill the room.

Changing my old B&W 601 to PMC TB2 is quite a difference in sound.
601 brings a more warm, blurred voice.
Though, TB2 reflects with's in the CD directly.
The sound is very so REAL that after trying it for several months. I feel like throwing most of my CDs.
Only a few CDs can make my TB2 sing well. What a disappointment.
Those who buy TB1 or TB2 should know the speaker will truly show you all the details in the CD, good and bad.

Use them together with a Naim Nait2 (+/- 23 watts/channel, best integrated in the world) and imho this is an excellent combo. Even my girlfriend (no audio freak but likes the music) noticed the quality.
Up till now have not heard a minimalist stereo perform this well en very sense. Classical, rock, hardrock, country every once in a while, it is a pleasure to listen to. And they go deep. I listened to a song the other day with silent bits in it. At least, I thought there were. Now i heard a real deep bass is played way in the back. Excelent.

absolutely brilliant for listening well recorded music,you dont have to use your imagination in a compensatory way when listening to music,making up for the shortcomings of the speakers becouse the whole of the frequency range is well represented and very smooth.If You would like me to be very very picky i'd say REAL sub bass frequencies are accurate but sometimes too quite unless reinforced by the room they are situated in (Down to the limitations of geometry and physics perhaps)This is compensated for by a slight bass and mid bass emphasis and a slight resession in the upper mid frequencies, the combination of this emphasis and de emphasis would render most music "dull" sounding but the incisiveness of the tweeter compensates for this,making music sound etched and precise: very clever design becouse if i am right about these traits, they are slight and do not detract from the musicality and representation of the whole recorded "picture"....they present music in a way that the ear appreciates but not artificially so.But i would,nt say they were "ruthless" speakers and this is why i have had problems mixing music on them in the past; becouse of their tonal accuracy and presentation they help you to select and organise sounds very comfortably, placing sounds across the spectrum from low to high but when replayed on a simpler (not lesser) speaker mixes have tended to sound "cheaper" and less "expensive" (limited bandwidth wise) whereas mixes on ruthless speakers i.e tannoys,yamaha ns10s translate in terms of there apparent size, better yet these mixes have the illusion of "bigness" without pocessing the tonal accuracy that the PMC give which has led to much nashing of teeth and frustration supporting the theory that one speaker system can not provide every possible perspective of sound.In my system they serve as a final reference monitor,a role that non of my other monitors can quite fulfill. I hope this is helpfull to you.IF YOU ARE INTO HI-FI YOU MIGHT LOVE THE SOUND OF THEM AS I DO, IF YOU ARE INTO MIXING BE SURE ABOUT THE ROLE THEY ARE GOING TO TAKE AND AUDITION THEM BY MIXING ON THEM *NOT* LISTENING TO THEM.

I have a pair of 500UKP TB1s bi-amped with Arcam's 9/9P combination, and I love them. Although I'm relatively new to hi-fi, I know smooth, controlled bass and open, involving treble when I hear it. These are very special speakers.

They use something that PMC call 'Transflex loading' on the main driver, ported at the rear, which extends their low-end down to about 40Hz, nearly an octave below standard bass-port designs that are usually tuned to 70Hz. As a result, these 'bookshelf' speakers (ideally, they need to be freestanding at least 50cm from the back wall) produce an incredible amount of oomph for their size, appearing to defy the laws of physics - big sound *can* come out of small boxes. On hearing the system, friends have even asked me where my sub is hiding!

The rear bass port does make them quite position-sensitive, however. For example, I found the bass to be a bit muddy and ill-defined if they were set too close to the wall, but in the right position the soundstage is well-balanced and accurate across the whole range. If you trial (or buy) a pair of these, I can't over-emphasise the importance of positioning.

As you up the volume, the sound retains its shape and balance perfectly - it just seems to 'get louder' without any perceptible artefacts, distortion or change in the presentation. Difficult to explain - you have to hear it. My hifi dealer described them as 'indestructable' (based on how many pairs he's had back into the shop for repairs, I think) and I can see what he means. The only problem I've found is that if I'm not careful I tend to crank up the level until I'm listening to *very* loud music without realising it. These speakers can seriously damage your eardrums.

In short, if you want full, powerful hi-fi sound with studio-monitor ruggedness at a reasonable price, these are well worth a look.